The 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a semifinal series in Major League Baseball's 2003 postseason played between the Wild Card Boston Red Sox and the top-seeded New York Yankees from October 8 to 16, 2003. It was the second postseason meeting of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. The Yankees won the series four games to three to advance to the World Series, where they lost in six games to the National League champion Florida Marlins.
This was the last time the Yankees defeated the Red Sox in the postseason until 2025, and remains the last time that the Yankees won a Game 7.
Summary
This series delivered yet another blow to Red Sox fans' hopes of winning a World Series for the first time since 1918. The series seemed evenly matched, with the lead being held first by the Red Sox, then by the Yankees. The Red Sox also set an ALCS record with 12 home runs in the series.
New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
Game summaries
Game 1
Tim Wakefield shut the Bronx Bombers down for six innings in Game 1, allowing only back-to-back one-out singles to Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui in the second. Mike Mussina pitched three shutout innings before allowing a leadoff single to Manny Ramirez in the fourth, when the Red Sox began to flex their muscles. David Ortiz homered into the third deck in right field to put the Red Sox up 2–0. Next inning, Todd Walker drove Mussina's first pitch down the right-field line; the ball appeared to strike the foul pole, but was called foul by right field umpire Angel Hernandez. Home plate umpire Tim McClelland immediately overruled him, and awarded Walker home plate. Ramirez followed with a home run later that inning to put the Red Sox ahead 4–0. Little had two relievers who had shown effectiveness in the games leading up to the seventh game—Scott Williamson and Mike Timlin (who had not allowed a single hit in the playoffs), Critics of the move note that Martínez had experienced diminished effectiveness in the late innings of games in which he had thrown more than 100 pitches.
Boone became just the second player in MLB history to end a Game 7 of a postseason series with a walk-off home run; the only other player is Bill Mazeroski, who did so in the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates (ironically against the Yankees).
- <small>The radio call of Boone's home run over the Yankees Radio Network</small>
As of , this is the last time the Yankees won a Game 7.
Composite box
2003 ALCS (4–3): New York Yankees over Boston Red Sox
Series stats
Boston Red Sox
Batting
Note: GP=Games played; AB=At bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home runs; RBI=Runs batted in; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting average; OBP=On base percentage; SLG=Slugging percentage
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! width="16%" |Player
! width="9%" |GP
! width="9%" |AB
!R
! width="9%" |H
!2B
!3B
! width="9%" |HR
! width="9%" |RBI
!BB
! width="9%" |AVG
!OBP
!SLG
!Reference
|-
|Jason Varitek
|6
|20
|4
|6
|2
|0
|2
|3
|1
|.300
|.333
|.700
|
|-
|Kevin Millar
|7
|29
|3
|7
|0
|0
|1
|3
|1
|.241
|.267
|.345
|
|-
|Todd Walker
|7
|27
|5
|10
|1
|1
|2
|2
|1
|.370
|.414
|.704
|
|-
|Bill Mueller
|7
|27
|1
|6
|2
|0
|0
|0
|2
|.222
|.276
|.296
|
|-
|Nomar Garciaparra
|7
|29
|2
|7
|0
|1
|0
|1
|2
|.241
|.290
|.310
|
|-
|Manny Ramirez
|7
|29
|6
|9
|1
|0
|2
|4
|1
|.310
|.333
|.552
|
|-
|Johnny Damon
|5
|20
|1
|4
|1
|0
|0
|1
|3
|.200
|.304
|.250
|
|-
|Trot Nixon
|7
|24
|3
|8
|1
|0
|3
|5
|3
|.333
|.429
|.750
|
|-
|David Ortiz
|7
|26
|4
|7
|1
|0
|2
|6
|3
|.269
|.367
|.538
|
|-
|Gabe Kapler
|3
|8
|0
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|.125
|.125
|.125
|
|-
|Doug Mirabelli
|3
|7
|0
|2
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|.286
|.286
|.286
|
|-
|Damian Jackson
|5
|3
|0
|1
|0
|0
|0
|1
|0
|.333
|.333
|.333
|
|-
|David McCarty
|1
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|.000
|.000
|.000
|
|}
Pitching
Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! width="16%" |Player
! width="5%" |G
! width="5%" |GS
! width="5%" |IP
! width="5%" |H
! width="5%" |BB
! width="5%" |R
! width="5%" |ER
! width="5%" |SO
! width="5%" |W
! width="5%" |L
!SV
! width="5%" |ERA
!Reference
|-
|Pedro Martínez
|2
|2
|
|16
|2
|9
|9
|14
|0
|1
|0
|5.65
|
|-
|Derek Lowe
|2
|2
|14
|14
|7
|10
|10
|5
|0
|2
|0
|6.43
|
|-
|Tim Wakefield
|3
|2
|14
|8
|6
|4
|4
|10
|2
|1
|0
|2.57
|
|-
|Mike Timlin
|5
|0
|
|1
|2
|0
|0
|6
|0
|0
|0
|0.00
|
|-
|Alan Embree
|5
|0
|
|3
|0
|0
|0
|1
|1
|0
|0
|0.00
|
|-
|John Burkett
|1
|1
|
|7
|0
|5
|3
|1
|0
|0
|0
|7.36
|
|-
|Bronson Arroyo
|3
|0
|
|2
|2
|1
|1
|5
|0
|0
|0
|2.70
|
|-
|Scott Williamson
|3
|0
|3
|1
|0
|1
|1
|6
|0
|0
|3
|3.00
|
|-
|Todd Jones
|1
|0
|
|1
|1
|0
|0
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0.00
|
|-
|Scott Sauerbeck
|1
|0
|
|1
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0.00
|
|}
New York Yankees
Batting
Note: GP=Games played; AB=At bats; R=Runs; H=Hits; 2B=Doubles; 3B=Triples; HR=Home runs; RBI=Runs batted in; BB=Walks; AVG=Batting average; OBP=On base percentage; SLG=Slugging percentage
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! width="16%" |Player
! width="9%" |GP
! width="9%" |AB
!R
! width="9%" |H
!2B
!3B
! width="9%" |HR
! width="9%" |RBI
!BB
! width="9%" |AVG
!OBP
!SLG
!Reference
|-
|Jorge Posada
|7
|27
|5
|8
|4
|0
|1
|6
|3
|.296
|.367
|.556
|
|-
|Nick Johnson
|7
|26
|4
|6
|1
|0
|1
|3
|2
|.231
|.286
|.385
|
|-
|Alfonso Soriano
|7
|30
|0
|4
|1
|0
|0
|3
|1
|.133
|.188
|.167
|
|-
|Aaron Boone
|7
|17
|2
|3
|0
|0
|1
|2
|1
|.176
|.263
|.353
|
|-
|Derek Jeter
|7
|30
|3
|7
|2
|0
|1
|2
|2
|.233
|.281
|.400
|
|-
|Hideki Matsui
|7
|26
|3
|8
|3
|0
|0
|4
|1
|.308
|.321
|.423
|
|-
|Bernie Williams
|7
|26
|5
|5
|1
|0
|0
|2
|4
|.192
|.300
|.231
|
|-
|Karim Garcia
|5
|16
|1
|4
|0
|0
|0
|3
|2
|.250
|.368
|.250
|
|-
|Jason Giambi
|7
|26
|4
|6
|0
|0
|3
|3
|4
|.231
|.333
|.577
|
|-
|Enrique Wilson
|2
|7
|0
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|.143
|.143
|.143
|
|-
|David Dellucci
|3
|3
|2
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|.333
|.500
|.333
|
|-
|Juan Rivera
|2
|2
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|0
|.000
|.000
|.000
|
|-
|Rubén Sierra
|3
|2
|1
|1
|0
|0
|1
|1
|1
|.500
|667
|2.000
|
|}
Pitching
Note: G=Games Played; GS=Games Started; IP=Innings Pitched; H=Hits; BB=Walks; R=Runs; ER=Earned Runs; SO=Strikeouts; W=Wins; L=Losses; SV=Saves; ERA=Earned Run Average
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! width="16%" |Player
! width="5%" |G
! width="5%" |GS
! width="5%" |IP
! width="5%" |H
! width="5%" |BB
! width="5%" |R
! width="5%" |ER
! width="5%" |SO
! width="5%" |W
! width="5%" |L
!SV
! width="5%" |ERA
!Reference
|-
|Mike Mussina
|3
|2
|
|16
|4
|7
|7
|17
|0
|2
|0
|4.11
|
|-
|Andy Pettitte
|2
|2
|
|17
|4
|6
|6
|10
|1
|0
|0
|4.63
|
|-
|Roger Clemens
|2
|2
|9
|11
|2
|6
|5
|8
|1
|0
|0
|5.00
|
|-
|Mariano Rivera
|4
|0
|8
|5
|0
|1
|1
|6
|1
|0
|2
|1.12
|
|-
|David Wells
|2
|1
|
|5
|2
|2
|2
|5
|1
|0
|0
|2.35
|
|-
|José Contreras
|4
|0
|
|6
|2
|3
|3
|7
|0
|1
|0
|5.79
|
|-
|Jeff Nelson
|4
|0
|3
|4
|0
|2
|2
|3
|0
|0
|0
|6.00
|
|-
|Félix Heredia
|5
|0
|
|0
|3
|1
|1
|3
|0
|0
|0
|3.38
|
|-
|Gabe White
|2
|0
|2
|4
|0
|1
|1
|1
|0
|0
|0
|4.50
|
|}
Aftermath
The series is widely considered one of the most devastating losses in Boston sports history. The loss was crushing for Red Sox fans, many of whom blamed Little for leaving Martínez in the game since Martínez had experienced difficulty beyond 100 pitches. Little went on to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers before being replaced by Joe Torre after the 2007 season.
Boone's pennant-clinching home run often draws comparisons to another famous Yankee home run against the Red Sox in the postseason: the one Bucky Dent hit in a one-game playoff between the two teams that decided the American League East division title in 1978. But the Yankees won the World Series that year, against the Dodgers. As with Dent, Boone has had the expletive "Fucking" assigned as a middle name by Red Sox fans in the following years. As a player for the Yankees, this would be Boone's final big moment for the team as he played poorly during the World Series (no home runs or RBIs in 22 at-bats), and then tore his ACL playing pick-up basketball before the start of next season, and was replaced by Alex Rodriguez.
Until the final game of the pennant race, some baseball fans had been hoping for a rematch of the 1918 World Series The Marlins won Game 7, 9–6, to advance to the World Series, where they defeated the Yankees, four games to two. The Cubs did not reach the World Series until , winning in seven games over the Cleveland Indians.
Believing his defense was the weak point of the team, general manager Theo Epstein traded shortstop Nomar Garciaparra at the 2004 trade deadline in a four team trade that saw the Red Sox receive shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Montreal Expos and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz from the Minnesota Twins. It was a controversial trade at the time, but necessary as the Red Sox had enough offense to cover for Garciaparra's departure, and needed better defense at shortstop, which Cabrera provided. Garciaparra finished his Red Sox career with a .323 average, 178 home runs, and 690 RBI over parts of nine seasons.
The following year, Boston and New York met again in the ALCS, with Boston becoming the first team in major league history—as well as just the third team in American professional sports history—to come back to win a playoff series after being down three games to none; they then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series to win their first championship since 1918 and thus end the Curse of the Bambino.
In the 2005–06 offseason, the rivalry between Boston and New York revived the Yankees' loss to the Marlins in the 2003 World Series when they traded Josh Beckett, the pitcher who pitched a complete-game shutout against the Yankees in the deciding game of the World Series, to the Red Sox.
The Yankees eventually hired postseason hero Boone as their manager in 2018 . The two teams have met in the postseason three during his tenure (2018, 2021, 2025). In , the Red Sox beat the Yankees en route to becoming the first team to win two World Series exactly one century apart, a feat that Boone kept them from doing in 2003, as the Red Sox won the inaugural World Series. The Red Sox won the 2021 match-up between the two rivals, while Boone and the Yankees avenged their consecutive postseason losses to Boston in the 2025 American League Wild Card Series.
Produced by Hockey Hall of Fame player Mark Messier in 2024, Amazon Prime spotlighted the 2003 ALCS in their series documentary 'Game 7'.
Notable performers
- Trot Nixon—.333 average, three home runs, five RBI
- David Ortiz, Manny Ramírez, Jason Varitek, Todd Walker—two home runs each.
- Tim Wakefield—Won Game 1 and Game 4 for the Red Sox, and very likely would have been the ALCS MVP had Boston held on to win the series.
- Jorge Posada—.296 average, four doubles
- Mariano Rivera—eight innings, 1.12 ERA, two saves (Series MVP)
- Mike Timlin and Alan Embree (combined)—ten innings, four hits, no earned runs
- Mike Mussina and Rivera—six innings, six strikeouts, four hits, and zero earned runs combined in relief during Game 7.
- Jason Giambi—Before the eighth inning rally in Game 7, Giambi had provided the Yankees' only offense with two solo home runs off Pedro Martínez.
- Aaron Boone—Hit an 11th inning walk-off home run in Game 7.
See also
- Red Sox–Yankees rivalry
- Curse of the Bambino
References
Inline citations
Bibliography
External links
- 2003 ALCS at Baseball-Reference